KOLKATA: The Jharkhand government has removed hockey coach Sudhir Gola from the Eklavya Hockey Training Center in Ranchi over complaints of absenteeism and harassment, according to an order issued by the Director, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, dated May 11, 2026.“He has been consistently absent from training duties and misbehaves with girls. Several verbal complaints were received against Gola in the past as well,” said the order, a copy of which is with TOI.The order also said that Gola, who hails from Telangana, was absent from the training center for more than two weeks, disrupting the training activities without the approval of the competent authority. In his place, Karunapurti, coach of Government Girls School, Bariatu, has been given additional charge of Eklavya Hockey Training Center along with his existing duties.Hockey India later on Friday removed Gola from its U-18 boys’ camp in Bhopal, where he was part of an ongoing program as an assistant coach.“The moment we came to know about the allegations of harassment, he was immediately removed from the camp. At Hockey India, we always take complaints of misconduct extremely seriously,” a Hockey India official told TOI.The latest incident adds to recent controversies in Indian hockey, including an April complaint accusing a Hockey India official of sexual harassment and abuse of power, and a 2025 case involving allegations of misconduct against the coach of the women’s junior team.Also during the first Women’s IHL, a coach was removed overnight after authorities received complaints of harassment from young players.Gola has previously worked as a technical official in national tournaments and was most recently a stand-in manager with Ranchi Royals during the Women’s Hockey India League in January this year.Last year, he was the head coach of the Jharkhand team during the U-20 Women’s Meet, U-18 Women’s Meet, and Senior Women’s National Tournament in Panchkula, Haryana, besides serving as the Women’s Team Manager during the National Games.However, development has once again focused on monitoring and accountability within grassroots and training setups.
